With this new policy, illegal immigrant who are honorably discharged from military (Do not understand how did anyone entered military got in the first place), received high school degree or even enrolled in school between the age 16 to 30 will not be deported. Even though this won’t allow path to citizenship, eligible immigrants would be eligible to obtain EAD or employment authorization, not mandatory that they should get one, and also to be renewed every 2 years.

The affected population is roughly the same as the one that would be covered by the DREAM Act, a stalled piece of legislation that is a priority for immigration advocates. President Obama has joined Democrats in calling for the bill’s passage, but Republicans have blocked it on the grounds that it amounts to amnesty.

“This grant of deferred action is not immunity. It is not amnesty,” Napolitano said. “It is an exercise of discretion so these young people are not in the removal system. It will help us continue to streamline immigration enforcement and ensure resources are not spent” unwisely.

Hailing the new policy as “the right thing to do,” Napolitano noted that many of the immigrants who would be eligible are assimilated members of American society who “have already contributed to our country in significant ways.”

“Our nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a strong and sensible manner, but they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case,” Napolitano said.

This new policy has affected almost 800,000 undocumented immigrants. But have to wait and watch how many of them you come forward submit the document to obtain employment authorization, as mentioned above work permits given based on each cases.